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The more I read on this story, the more I agree with this family! The cemetary CEO can snobbily disapprove of the giant military Spongebobs, which he claims "will detract from the cemetery's historic landscape" (whatever the hell that means!) but I think he's just too late!

And I find it hard to believe that management was never aware" of the monuments until after they were installed.
Really?! In a boring cemetary office, I would think a pair of 6ft tall Spongebobs would have at least been a topic of conversation at some point during the 7 months between the design & installation.

I'm thinking that the only person who was NOT aware of those monuments was probably the CEO/owner, and once he looked (down his nose) at them, it was suddenly a problem or "rules violation".

I think the cemetary should just get off their high horse & let the family have their memorials.

Although 6ft tall Spongebobs dressed in military regalia might not be everyone's cup of tea, it's not the tackiest thing I've ever heard...
The monuments also have an American flag on one sleeve and the No. 24 for Kimberly’s favorite racecar driver Jeff Gordon on the other.
Ok, maybe now it is...

WLWTCincinnati
 
Removing the headstone is the easy part, but it's very complicated to have the grave dug up, the burial vault opened, the casket exhumed, and then reburied elsewhere with a fresh grave and a new vault or liner. Valid court orders are needed to move properly interred remains, and such orders are not often given. I don't know of any judges that would sign an exhumation order on the basis of a family being angry that their tacky monument is disallowed by the cemetery whose rules they agreed to when they bought the plots. It's also incredibly expensive to exhume and re-inter a body, and is very unpleasant for everyone involved. It also ruins the whole "eternal rest" thing.

Yeah.. and I said that about 2 hours or so before you posted that the company is offering to give them the money from both headstones back and let them have others that still include the spongebob, only smaller.. the company being reasonable does negate that kind of extreme request, though, as I said only a couple hours ago, I doubt this family is going to be reasonable, so who knows what they will push for. And really, who can judge how unhappy they are right now till they say more. They are the ones who lost a family member and grief is hard to judge. They may turn into serious assholes over this. And I'm sure there are plenty of people who will feel they have a right to, and plenty of others who will think they are being unreasonable.
 
The families of the dead already buried there should be taken into account also. Since no one has I will, I don't think a single person here would be happy if a goddamn Spongebob showed up right next to your dead loved ones. If you're stupid enough to say that you'd be fine with it, then how about the rest of your family? The families of the the dead also spent a lot of money, and the cemetery should be maintained in a fashion keeping in style with the expectations of all currently buried as well as those waiting to move in.
I also think its disgusting that this family is so shallow that they choose to immortalize is a stupid cartoon character instead of something truly representative of the finer qualities of the deceased.
 
I don't think a single person here would be happy if a goddamn Spongebob showed up right next to your dead loved ones. If you're stupid enough to say that you'd be fine with it, then how about the rest of your family?

I honestly don't think I would give it much thought either way. I think it's tacky, but I think if I encountered it in a cemetery, I would probably assume it was at the grave of a child who really loved Spongebob and leave it at that. I don't usually expend a lot of energy at cemeteries worrying about what people have left on graves.

I also think its disgusting that this family is so shallow that they choose to immortalize is a stupid cartoon character instead of something truly representative of the finer qualities of the deceased.

Really? It's disgusting and shallow to put up a statue of something someone liked at their grave? I think it's a nice enough gesture, even if it seems a bit gauche.
 
Also to be taken into consideration is the question of whether such a reproduction of a trademarked character is licensed by the owners of the cartoon."
That a good point. As a kid my family would take day trip to the BIG cemetery in are area. Not as creepy as it sounds. We would go visit our loved ones then walk around the place for a bit. There was a children's section that would fascinate me to no end and I remember it would be pretty comment to see cartoon or book characters on them. I wonder if the company that makes the headstones have some kind of licencing to use them?
 
I also think its disgusting that this family is so shallow that they choose to immortalize is a stupid cartoon character instead of something truly representative of the finer qualities of the deceased.

I'm guessin' you are not from the south, mainly Texas ;P

This is one on the monuments in the children's cemetery I was talking about:
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And this family put a BIG ass bench over their plots:
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These next photos are from a really old graveyard in my hometown. It really is amazing to see how much love is put into the care of some of these graves:
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Some people may think things like this are eyesores, but I think they are a beautiful display of love.
 
As long as you're aware that not all of your remains will be returned to your family, that's a good thing to do. In fact, there's a distinct possibility that your family might not receive your remains at all.
My Mother's parents both donated their bodies to science but after her Father died, she talked her Mom out of it. Said she didn't have anywhere to "visit" him and didn't want that to happen with her too.
 
These are all very traditional and I find nothing wrong with them and in all the photos Spongebob would be an eyesore and very out of place alongside. What if she loved Ronald Mcdonald, would that be cool? a couple golden arches be alright? seriously the cemetery is not the place for copyrighted trademarked commercial crap. what's next corporate sponsored graves. I'm being facetious but where do you draw the line? This is a real conversation that apparently needs to be made by the citizens today, but what of those already dead and buried do they deserve to have this choice made for them. They very well may have chosen the cemetery based on it being somber reflective place. I would hope cemeteries could remain free from advertisements and commercial crap. Now hard liquor vending machines is a completely different thing.
 
I'm guessin' you are not from the south, mainly Texas ;P

This is one on the monuments in the children's cemetery I was talking about:

And this family put a BIG ass bench over their plots:

These next photos are from a really old graveyard in my hometown. It really is amazing to see how much love is put into the care of some of these graves:

Some people may think things like this are eyesores, but I think they are a beautiful display of love.

There's a big difference between benches, statues, landscaping, and other tasteful, acceptable forms of expressing grief and providing a place for remembrance and giant cartoon characters. Religious icons are comforting to many, and those do not conflict with the peace and tranquility that a cemetery is supposed to have. Many of the best works of art in existence are funerary statues; here are two of my favourites:
FD75303E-4578-48A9-A893-FFE25A8F9516-43671-000060687DABEA25_zpsf161ecb6.jpg
"Eternal Silence"
C4F076C0-D4D8-465C-8CDA-D502D4176791-43671-0000606894FDBD5F_zps320a9382.jpg

"Grief," commonly called "Black Aggie"
 
These are all very traditional and I find nothing wrong with them and in all the photos Spongebob would be an eyesore and very out of place alongside. What if she loved Ronald Mcdonald, would that be cool? a couple golden arches be alright? seriously the cemetery is not the place for copyrighted trademarked commercial crap. what's next corporate sponsored graves. I'm being facetious but where do you draw the line? This is a real conversation that apparently needs to be made by the citizens today, but what of those already dead and buried do they deserve to have this choice made for them. They very well may have chosen the cemetery based on it being somber reflective place. I would hope cemeteries could remain free from advertisements and commercial crap. Now hard liquor vending machines is a completely different thing.
Exactly!
 
I look at it like this: I don't like it when people tell me I can't do dumb Manda shit, so I try not to tell them they can't do their dumb shit.

The headstones are awful, ugly, eye rapers, BUT some people feel the same way about seeing a bloody man nailed up on wood like a piece of freaking art.

Bottom line, the cemetery "okayed" it. No one said shit while they were being put in. And it that would have been the perfect time to stop it. You could see how damn BIG those bitches were before they unloaded them off the truck. THAT would have been the time to say "Hey, wait...." Not the day after the family put them over the grave of their loved one and felt this part of their grief was over. Cause y'all should also remember this woman was beaten to death and this family still has a trail to go forward with.

I'm sorry, but if this was my family, I would be tell that cemetery to suck it up or eat shit cause we have bigger things on our plate right now.

And come on, a cemetery is for DEAD people, I've only head LIVING people bitching about this. Now, have one stiff in that boneyard say they don't like it, maybe I'd change my opinion.
 
A cemetery is and has never been a place to do whatever the fuck you want. As a business owner I am not beholden to statements made by an employee who is unauthorized to make such statements, and its crazy to think otherwise. Nowhere have you addressed the fact that everyone before Spongebob paid good money for their plots and had an expectation that I guarantee did not include Spongebobs, Its a real asshole move for someone to decide for everyone what is and is not tolerated.
 
And everybody after is gonna pay good money too. Cause cemeteries aren't like Starbucks, I'm pretty sure they don't have them on every corner. So it's not like it's gonna put a damper on their "business" cause last time I checked the Funeral Business isn't a dying industry (Hehe! See what I did there! *Snort*) And to be honest, I really think the family has better things to worry about than fighting about this shit with them. But on the other hand, if I was dropping $26,000 on headstones along with $29,000 for six pre payed plots I might get my panties in a wad too.

But like I said, I thought the whole point of a cemetery was to honor the dead and if they don't have a problem with being parked next door to SpongeBob EyesorePants, neither do I.

Aaaaaannnnd am I the only one here the sees the twisted fact that place is probably FILLED with images and monuments of a beaten, bloody, murdered guy that was strung up on display BUT they are getting MAD over a smiling children's cartoon?
 
On a side note, I want a big ass headstone with a Ouija Board on that says "CALL ME" real big on the top.
Basicaly I wanna be the big "SpongeBob" in the cemetery.
 
The cemetery has already agreed to reimburse the family for the full cost of both stones, and additionally to provide new ones. The new ones will be smaller, to fit with the rest of the cemetery, but will still have SpongeBob engraved on them. As the cemetery president said, it never should have gotten to this point.
That's more than fair .. :)
 
And everybody after is gonna pay good money too. Cause cemeteries aren't like Starbucks, I'm pretty sure they don't have them on every corner. So it's not like it's gonna put a damper on their "business" cause last time I checked the Funeral Business isn't a dying industry (Hehe! See what I did there! *Snort*) And to be honest, I really think the family has better things to worry about than fighting about this shit with them. But on the other hand, if I was dropping $26,000 on headstones along with $29,000 for six pre payed plots I might get my panties in a wad too.

But like I said, I thought the whole point of a cemetery was to honor the dead and if they don't have a problem with being parked next door to SpongeBob EyesorePants, neither do I.

Aaaaaannnnd am I the only one here the sees the twisted fact that place is probably FILLED with images and monuments of a beaten, bloody, murdered guy that was strung up on display BUT they are getting MAD over a smiling children's cartoon?

Here's my real life example- I already own my plot and those around me in a cemetery which has held my kin for almost 175 years. It is a beautiful place with beautiful stones and monuments from a time when the stone was cut as opposed to poured in a mold. I'm not going anywhere. If someone put a Spongebob near my Great,great,great grandmother the first thing that would happen would be a massive uproar from the families who own plots, and If I didn't own my plots yet a fucking Spongebob squarepants would sure as shit make me look elsewhere. We paid good money for a nice setting for reflection free from the trappings of our worldly lives, as it should be. Being in the situation I am in were a cartoon character to appear I would do the only responsible thing and take a sledgehammer and completely destroy it. Which I would continue until they stopped repairing or replacing it. So I guess I found a solution. I hope you can see this from a more objective viewpoint than that of just "I want it",
 
But like I said, I thought the whole point of a cemetery was to honor the dead and if they don't have a problem with being parked next door to SpongeBob EyesorePants, neither do I.

Actually, a cemetery is a place for the living to grieve, contemplate, or otherwise feel close to the dearly departed. Much like funeral services and wakes, they help provide a family with a sense of closure.

In our culture, we generally grow up with the unconscious expectation that when someone dies there is a funeral or memorial service, and then interment in a grave, mausoleum, or columbarium. When we feel sad or lonely because the person is gone, we can visit their resting place and feel comfort.

All of the trappings of the funeral industry are really for the living, not the dead. The dead either don't give a damn or have other things to think about now.
 
As long as you're aware that not all of your remains will be returned to your family, that's a good thing to do. In fact, there's a distinct possibility that your family might not receive your remains at all.

Also, remember that funerals are for the living, not the dead. If you have family, make sure that they understand and are OK with your end-of-life decisions. Sometimes we need to see all the death rituals of our culture carried out in order to gain a sense of closure.

Thank you. We've discussed all of this, and they don't have a problem with it.
 
Actually, a cemetery is a place for the living to grieve, contemplate, or otherwise feel close to the dearly departed. Much like funeral services and wakes, they help provide a family with a sense of closure.

In our culture, we generally grow up with the unconscious expectation that when someone dies there is a funeral or memorial service, and then interment in a grave, mausoleum, or columbarium. When we feel sad or lonely because the person is gone, we can visit their resting place and feel comfort.

All of the trappings of the funeral industry are really for the living, not the dead. The dead either don't give a damn or have other things to think about now.
Yes, I totally agree with this. I always think "What the fuck do they care? They are DEAD..." But the Oppositional defiant disorder that runs around in me can never pass up a good point to argue!
 
My 8 year old actually came up with a perfect resolution:
He thinks the Spongebob statue would be awesome to have at his school playground!

I laughed but then thought, what a great idea! Since the cemetery is going to reimburse the family & provide a new headstone, they should donate the Spongebob to a local park or playground.

A 6ft tall Spongebob would be right at home in a spot where children play & what a great way to have their daughters memory live on!
 
Soldier killed his girlfriend by mistake and then laid her on a bed of roses as an altar claims his attorney
  • Sgt. Montrell Lamar Anderson Mayo should be convicted of a lesser charge because he was in a 'crazy state of madness'
  • He and victim and Sgt. Kimberly Walker quarreled, military defense lawyer Capt. Michael Gold said
  • Walker, 28, was found dead on a bed sprinkled with rose petals at a motel in Colorado Springs near Fort Carson
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...didnt-mean-kill-girlfriend.html#ixzz3JaPTbgAi
 
Some people find giant statues of creepy angels and the virgin mary and the cheesy, traditional western looking depiction of jesus to be quite offputting.

Dipshits should get over it.
 
They aren't nearly as tacky as I envisioned them. I personally find the over embellished and rather large representations of Jesus and angels rather meh. I wonder if they could devise some cult of Spongebob that she worshipped and turn this into a religious infringement thing? Cause let's be real here, if that was a six foot representation of Christ everyone would be "awwwwww, isn't that lovely".
 
I know that she didn't lose her life on the front line, but this lady was a soldier. She fought for us, risked her life for our freedom, only to have that life stolen by a man who was supposed to love her. Why shouldn't she be honored the way her family thinks is most fitting? It's not like they're giant animatronic Spongebobs made to wave and shout “ I'm ready, I'm ready!”. If all the world's Atheists got together and demanded that all Christian related statues be removed from the cemetery because they found them offensive, would their demands even be considered?! Of course not. The solution is simple: Don't like it? Don't look at it. I, for one, love Spongebob, I'll even watch it after my children are in bed for the night. Don't judge me.
Since Sgt. Walker and I have a mutual love of Spongebob, I'll leave this pearl of wisdom to the people complaining about her memorial, as Sandy said to Patrick “ Don't you need to be stupid somewhere else?”
 
Soldier killed his girlfriend by mistake and then laid her on a bed of roses as an altar claims his attorney
  • Sgt. Montrell Lamar Anderson Mayo should be convicted of a lesser charge because he was in a 'crazy state of madness'
  • He and victim and Sgt. Kimberly Walker quarreled, military defense lawyer Capt. Michael Gold said
  • Walker, 28, was found dead on a bed sprinkled with rose petals at a motel in Colorado Springs near Fort Carson
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...didnt-mean-kill-girlfriend.html#ixzz3JaPTbgAi
According to the article @Whisper posted, they won the right to keep the headstone.
 
I'm glad to read that they were allowed to replace the statues. I really hate Spongebob, but I don't see how his likeness could offend anyone.

Simply because people have been putting tacky statues on graves for generations, we come to think of them as being respectful and respectable, but the truth is that they have no intrinsic meaning beyond that assigned to them by those who erect them.

The likeness of a female with wings has meaning for some people and provides comfort to them, as does the graphic image of a male in the final throes of an agonized death. In this case, a cartoon character provides comfort to this family and has meaning for them. I fail to see any difference here.
 
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